]]>The HybridCars.com monthly sales dashboard is a collaboration of HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates, a Michigan-based market research firm focusing on automotive issues including the hybrid and electric vehicle market.

Alternative energy vehicle sales were just steady as she goes last month.

In related news, we have decided to separate plug-in electrified vehicles into two categories – plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and all-electric (also known as battery electric vehicles (BEV).

The plug-in market is growing, and we will see new models added to the yet-slim ranks this year, and beyond.

Note: The Chevrolet Volt and Cadillac ELR were a challenge as they cross categories and an argument could be made for them being slotted into the “electric” category (albeit with generator backup) or “plug-in hybrids.”

Given they have dual power trains, by a strict definition, they are plug-in hybrids, but their powertrain architecture operates not quite like the rest of the PHEVs.

General Motors calls them “EREVS for “extended-range electric vehicles” and this is not just marketing hype.

For example, a firm press of the accelerator will not kick the Volt or ELR’s gas engine on as it would with a Toyota or Ford PHEV.

GM’s EREV vehicles operate like EVs as long as they have battery charge and are very nearly pure series hybrids. Much of the time they do operate like series hybrids, but there are exceptions.

Their gas engines only rarely are used to mechanically power the front wheels, and for the most part are used solely as a generator for the electric traction motor.

In contrast, a Prius PHEV or Ford Energi revert to parallel hybrid mode if the battery is exhausted.

This is more than a semantic difference and we wanted to be a bit more clear over what for some is a contentious issue.

As for the volumes in the two new sub-categories these are roughly similar, with the all-electric segment dependent on the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S and the PHEV category paced by the Chevy Volt, Toyota Prius Plug In, Ford Fusion Energi, and Ford C-Max Energi.

As noted last month, cold weather and a new tax year are not good news for auto sales in general and hybrids and electrics in particular. Plug in hybrids had a good month relative to last month with the leading vehicles doing better than last month (although the Volt is down relative to last year).

Among battery electrics, the Leaf did well relative to last month and year, but volumes must increase (and will) to meet Nissan’s projections for the year. The Tesla Model S is being distributed in Europe and North America, so U.S. sales are down from the peak months of last year. Nevertheless, U.S. sales volumes are doing well and will increase as production increases.

Hybrid volumes are trailing the overall trends in the market. Prius hybrid sales (all varieties) are down relative to the overall market while other key hybrids are growing relative to last month, although generally not compared to February 2013. The weather and fuel prices are the usual suspects, although it appears fuel prices may be on their way up. The Subaru XV Crosstrek hybrid is new to the forecast and our volumes are estimated at this point.

Diesel volume has been consistent the past few months, and we are now including the Grand Cherokee. The Ram should launch in the current month. Diesel sales as a share of total volume have been quite steady as of late. Cruze diesel numbers continue to be modest, which we believe is due to a high price premium for the model.

February 2014 Hybrid Car Sales Numbers

Hybrids sold in the U.S. (February 2014): 30,561Hybrid Take-Rate: 2.57%